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About The Body Broken

Praise forThe Body Broken

“The pathos of God for the torn and tearing body of Christ has seized the heart of Robert Benson. This book is a pure, passionate and prophetic cry to transcend all division and discord into reverence one another in obedience to the Master. One more thing: Benson is a helluva writer!”-Brennan Manning, author of A Glimpse of Jesus

“In a time when bookstores are full of books and films about the end of the road (everyone seems to want to know), The Body Broken takes us on a journey for the sake of the journey itself, and in the process, it teaches us about loving one another, not by imperative, but by example.” —from the foreword by John Fischer, author of Love Him in the Morning: Reflections on God’s Faithfulness

Jesus prayed for our unity as believers in the hours before His betrayal and crucifixion. Robert Benson tenderly pleads for all of us who follow Him to heed our Lord’s petition and concentrate on what unites us instead of what divides us. In a thoughtful and beautifully written volume Benson challenges each of us to reexamine what it means to be a follower of Jesus in the diverse body of Christ. His honesty and heart for the church shine throughout this book. I thoroughly enjoyed it.-Dave Burchett, Author of Bring’em Back Alive: A Healing Plan for those Wounded by the Church and When Bad Christians Happen to Good People

“Again and again, Robert Benson speaks to my heart. His search for authenticity and the power of his words to articulate the way stations on that pilgrim pathway resonate for me in a unique way. The Body Broken lifts us into a new dimension of spiritual reality.” — Luci Shaw, Writer-in-Residence, Regent College and author of Water Lines

“As always, Benson’s deceptively simple storytelling sneaks up on you. His style, a fusion of gentleness, raw truth, and quiet power (remind you of anyone?), is put to good use here. The Body Broken is a keeper.” — Nikki Grimes, award-winning author of Bronx Masquerade and What Is Goodbye?

“It is a great irony that all of us who love Jesus and know that he prays for us, even now, that we “may all be one,” have such a difficult time loving one another. Robert Benson doesn’t exactly tell us how to do it but he does tell an honest story about the ways that Jesus’ prayer is getting worked out in his life.” — Eugene Peterson, Professor Emeritus of Spiritual Theology, Regent College, Vancouver, B.C.

About The Body Broken

A lifelong Christian and seeker, Robert Benson has shared the prayers, rituals, conversations, and practices of many different denominations. His broad range of ecumenical experiences have led to moments of great joy and deep fellowship, but they have also opened his eyes to the misunderstanding and the intolerance that constantly threaten to dismember the whole Body of Christ. The Body Broken is an honest and moving meditation on the Gospel imperative to love one another as brothers and sisters, even as we choose to live and express our faith in differing ways.

Benson writes longingly about the things of the faith that bind us together and gracefully about the things that keep us apart. He recounts his own journey from Nazarene to Methodist to Episcopalian and introduces us to the people and the differing expressions of faith he encountered along the way. We meet ordinary folk, including Benson’s family and childhood friends, as well as legendary religious thinkers as Henri Nouwen. Some of the stories–particularly the ones about his own brother’s suicide–are heartbreakingly painful; others bring to light the joy and grace of Christian love as found in acts of common worship and compassion. Although Benson acknowledges that there are–and always will be–very real differences in the ways that Christians seek to live out their faith, he reminds us of the essential beliefs that we share about God and our common dependency on God’s mysterious mercy and grace, even as we look for God as through a glass darkly.

In poetic prose that is reminiscent of the writing of Frederick Buechner and Annie Dillard, Benson illuminates, with wit and wisdom and humility and passion, one of the most difficult challenges that face the Church. The Body Broken is a powerful, important examination of the intolerance and divisiveness that have become an all too familiar part of the Church and a gentle, poignant call for a Christian community that embraces a spirit of love and unity even as it honors our differences.

Praise

Praise for Robert Benson

“In looking at his own life with candor and hope, Robert Benson helps us to look at our own. His words have the ring of truth.” ?Frederic Buechner

Praise for Between the Dreaming and the Coming True

“Charming and elegantly written . . . that rare gift, a thought-provoking record of his own spiritual quest for God through the dark night of depression . . . Willa Cather’s phrase, ‘Thy will be done in art as it is in heaven’ could serve as an epigraph to this fine work.” ?Publishers Weekly

About Robert Benson

Robert Benson is the author of numerous books, including The Echo Within, Digging In, and Home by Another Way. A retreat leader, Benson writes and speaks often on the life of prayer and contemplation, the practice of faith and spirituality,… More about Robert Benson

About Robert Benson

Robert Benson is the author of numerous books, including The Echo Within, Digging In, and Home by Another Way. A retreat leader, Benson writes and speaks often on the life of prayer and contemplation, the practice of faith and spirituality,… More about Robert Benson